NECO Registrar, Prof Obioma Died Of Heart Attack – Council’s Director

BY ILIYA GARBA, MINNA – The National Examinations Council (NECO), has declared that its Repgistrar, Professor Godswill Obioma died in his sleep.

This was contained in a statement on Tuesday in Minna by the Council’s Director of Human Resources, Abdul Mustapha, saying that contrary to rumours in the public space that he was assassinated, the late Prof Obioma died in his sleep as a result of heart failure as confirmed by his wife.

Mustapha further said the cause of the death of Prof. Obioma was further confirmed by his son through a personal message he sent to him saying; “Mustapha K. Abdul (Director Human Resource Management, NECO), “Dear Sir, this is to formally inform you that my father, Prof. Godswill Obioma, the Registrar/Chief Executive of NECO passed to eternal glory yesterday 31/5/2021 after a brief illness.

“We request that you kindly notify the Board, Management and the entire staff of the Council of this development. We shall keep you duly informed”.

The late Prof. Obioma died in his house along London Street, Dutsen Kura area of Minna, the  Niger state Capital on Monday evening.

Although there are different version of the circumstances surrounding his death, a security source told our correspondent that it is true that the late Obioma slumped and died in front of his wife and personal aide.

It was gathered that the late Registrar who was appointed on the 15th of May, 2020 through a letter with Reference No: FME/PS/396/C1/1/134 and signed by the Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, for an initial tenure of five years, and with effect from 14th May, 2020, was having a running battle with the Governing Board of NECO led by Mallam Sadiq Abubakar.

Only last week, the late Professor Obioma was said to have been suspended from office by the Board and the leadership tussle in the organization led to the deployment of a detachment of armed policemen and the men of the Department of State Services to barricade the entrance gate of the headquarters of the organization along Bida road, Minna, the Niger state capital.

Last week Monday, the staff who were resuming from the Sallah break, met a heavily armed policemen and men of the DSS who subjected them to a thorough search and made to show their identity cards before allowing them into the premises.

Although none of the staff could comment on the development, it was however gathered that the action of the security agents was not unconnected with the rumor of the sack of the late Registrar and Chief Executive of the Examinations body, Professor Godswill Obioma.

The entire NECO headquarters in Minna has been thrown into confusion with some of the staff who had earlier reported to the office discussing his sudden death in group while others hurriedly left the office for home.

The late Godswill Obioma is a professor of Education Measurement and Evaluation. He formally took over the affairs of the Council on Friday, 22nd May, 2020 from the then Acting Registrar, Mallam Abubakar Gana.